Layoffs of federal employees officially began Friday as the U.S. government shutdown entered another tense phase, according to Trump administration budget chief Russell Vought, who confirmed the sweeping reductions in a social media post.
“The RIFs have begun,” Vought announced on X, using the acronym for “Reductions in Force.”
The RIFs have begun.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 10, 2025
The Gateway Pundit reported last week that President Donald Trump met with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, a key architect of the Project 2025 blueprint, to determine which federal agencies, deemed by Trump as “political SCAM Democrat Agencies,” should face cuts and whether those cuts will be temporary or permanent.
With Congress deadlocked and the shutdown entering its second day, the White House is pressing ahead with sweeping plans to slash government.
Trump described the impasse not as a crisis but as a chance to purge bureaucratic excesses and reshape federal power in line with conservative priorities.
Officials say the meeting with Vought will lead to mass layoffs, departmental closures, and funding freezes, according to Reuters.
The President’s post signals that these changes may not simply be temporary austerity measures, but irreversible restructuring.
Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.
“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DJT”
In September, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reportedly circulated internal guidance to agencies, warning them to prepare for waves of deferred resignations and reductions in force should Congress fail to approve full appropriations, according to the New York Post.
Agencies were told to begin drafting Separation and Reduction in Force (RIF) plans targeting nonessential positions.
On January 28, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memo to the entire federal civil service titled “Fork in the Road,” offering employees a deferred resignation option.
The offer promised continued salary and benefits through September 30 if workers left voluntarily, but only if they signed away legal rights and accepted the exit by a looming deadline.
By mid-February, approximately 75,000 federal employees had signed the exit agreement.
More than 100,000 additional workers are expected to depart following the shutdown, making this breakaway the largest one-day drop in federal workforce history, according to The Guardian.